KETO CRIB SHEET
*THIS IS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS! SUGGESTIONS WELCOMED.
WHAT IS KETO?
Though people typically think of candy and donuts when hearing the word "sugar," so many foods have sugar, including pasta, bread, fruit, and milk. When you eat lots of sugar on a regular basis (as most people do with a typical American diet), your body turns it into glucose and that serves as your body's primary source of fuel/energy. With keto, you intentionally deprive your body of sugar/carbohydrates. Then your body gets really good at turning fat into ketones, and ketones become your primary source of energy. This is your body in ketosis.
MACROS 101
"Macros" is short for "macronutrients," which are the major nutrients consumed by the human body -- that is, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Keto is primarily about controlling the macro ratio in your daily food consumption so that you can keep your body in ketosis.
Generally, with a maintenance ketogenic diet, it is advised that you consume 70%-80% of your calories from fat, fewer than 20g grams net carbs (see below), and the balance is protein. If you would like to lose weight, you should still aim to consume fewer than 20g grams net carbohydrates, consume a daily protein amount based on your body's estimated lean mass (a macro calculator will help!), and eat fats as necessary to feel satisfied, all while still staying under you daily caloric limit.
Whether your goal is to gain, lose, or maintain weight, you should use a reliable macro calculator (one is linked below!) to figure out your daily targets and then track your daily macros. Some people are meticulous and track every macronutrient and micronutrient (e.g., calcium, sodium) they consume to ensure they are meeting specific goals, some simply track net carbs to make sure they stay in ketosis (sometimes called "lazy keto"), but most people are somewhere in between.
SAMPLE KETO MACROS
~2,000 CALORIES DAILY MAINTENANCE
Need to figure out your target macros?
Try the Ketogains Macro Calculator.
EVERY FRIDGE SHOULD HAVE...
EVERY PANTRY SHOULD HAVE...
NET CARBS
With keto, carbohydrates that come from fiber and certain sweeteners don't count toward your limit of 20 net carbs per day. (Yippee!)
- FIBER
- ERYTHRITOL
- OTHER SUGAR ALCS ½
= NET CARBS
In the example label to the right, here's the calculation:
- 4g FIBER
- 2g ERYTHRITOL
- 3g OTHER SUGAR ALCS ½
= 2.5g NET CARBS
IMPORTANT: NOT ALL SUGAR ALCOHOLS ARE EQUAL! Erythritol has almost no calories and it has no effect on blood sugar or insulin levels. Therefore, it is the only sugar alcohol that is fully deductible. Other sugar alcohols, such as maltitol, sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol, are only partially absorbed by your gut and have varying impact on blood sugar and insulin levels, so the general rule of thumb is that you should only deduct half of the carbohydrates from those sweeteners.
Nutrition Facts
BREADS, AND PASTAS, AND FRENCH FRIES, OH MY!
Starches are the often the most difficult carb-heavy foods to give up. Fortunately, there are LOADS of wonderful recipes that produce amazing replacements for these comfort foods. For example, you can make pizza crust, crackers, and other dense breads with "Fat Head Dough" recipes, which are essentially mixtures of mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, and some kind of low-carb flour. You can make lighter breads with "Cloud Bread" or "Oopsie Bread" recipes, which are basically eggs, cream cheese, and baking powder. Here are some great low-carb recipes for some of your favorite foods to get you started...
KETO FLU
When you first start keto, your body will go through sugar withdrawal and some people may briefly experience flu-like symptoms during this transition. Fear not! These side effects can be reduced or avoided altogether, mostly by consuming enough electrolytes.
ACRONYMS
*This guide was NOT compiled by medical professionals and should not be considered medical advice. This guide is simply intended to help people who are new to keto learn the basics and get connected with valuable resources. Please do your own research and check with your medical professionals to make sure you have the necessary information to make the best decisions for your health. If you have suggestions for additional information or changes, click here.